


Aaron and Eric (On the Road)

by Aaricwriter



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Alexandria Safe-Zone (Walking Dead), Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22455307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aaricwriter/pseuds/Aaricwriter
Summary: Aaron and Eric prove their love to one another as they navigate and survive on the road during the apocalypse.
Relationships: Aaron/Eric Raleigh
Kudos: 6





	1. The Drive

**Author's Note:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Their plan was to head southwest to Eric’s family’s farm in Virginia. There, they might find shelter and protection. As the couple drove in silence down one of the noiseless streets they couldn’t help but feel restless. From what they’d heard on the news, seen for themselves out in the town, and from that one moment in their home, the creatures walking around with bloody clothes and snapping jaws were deadly and more dangerous than anyone could imagine. Nobody had any idea how it had started or why, all they knew was that it was spreading and slowly the human race was being overrun. 

After a few turns through quiet streets and passes through broken down traffic lights, Eric had already had enough and decided to stick on the radio, making sure it was at a low level that only they could hear. Aaron glimpsed over at him and smiled understandingly.

“Is it okay?” Eric asked in a quiet voice.

“The music?” Aaron asked back as his boyfriend nodded in answer. “Of course Eric, I know how much music calms you.”

Eric smiled slightly. “Thanks Aaron.”

Aaron stole quick glances at Eric as he drove on, noticing how he stared off into space and bit down hard on his lip, his fingers twiddling in his lap. Aaron sighed inaudibly, Eric was so petrified it was clear by the way he was acting and talking and Aaron absolutely hated seeing him like that.

“Hey.” Aaron whispered across to him, bringing the car to a stop in the middle of the road.

Eric looked over in confusion just as Aaron was reaching out his hands to hold onto his, squeezing gently in reassurance. 

“We’re going to be okay.” Aaron said, turning in his seat. “You and me together, we’re going to get through this. We’re a team, remember?”

Eric smiled a little, pressing Aaron’s hand in answer. “Okay, good.” Aaron smiled. “Now let’s get out of here and find somewhere to sleep.”

Eric couldn’t help but smile as Aaron leaned forward to give him a kiss on the forehead before turning back around, stepping on the gas to get the car going again.  
  
All of a sudden Eric’s mood had lightened thanks to his boyfriend. He was less antsy and tuned into the softly playing music in the car, humming along quietly to himself as they passed houses. But it wasn’t long before both of their moods were clouded by a stark reminder of what was happening to the world.

As they drew nearer to the end of the road Eric noticed some movement from a house on his right, he leaned forward expecting it to be someone loading things into their car or getting their car ready to leave, but what he really saw made his insides crawl and his stomach turn. Eric sat back and stared in horror as the vehicle drew closer to the scene enfolding right before his eyes.

“Aaron.” He croaked, eyes never leaving the house.

The man took a look at his boyfriend and followed his gaze. Both men watched on in shock as the car drove passed the house to their right. The driveway had blood stains and the front door had a bloody handprint in its centre. The car rocked back and forth slightly as a small, undead girl with a bite mark to her face banged on the windows from inside the car, teeth clanking and snarling against the glass. On the front lawn there were three bloody, dismantled corpses, two being fed on by the dead creatures, the third of a child on his back with his eyes trapped wide open. They couldn’t take their eyes off of it. Not once since they heard of those monsters had they come across such a scene.

Minutes later as they turned off onto a road leading out of the city, neither men spoke a word of what they saw, Eric gripping the door handle tight as if his life depended on it, “Stop the car.” He almost yelled.

Aaron didn’t hesitate and pulled onto the side of the road. As soon as the car halted Eric was flying out of the door and collapsing on the other side of the road, bringing up the contents of his stomach all over the grass. Aaron quickly came to his aid, rubbing his back and whispering meaningless nothings to try and calm his breathing.

What felt like hours later the two were clinging to each other at the side of the road, Eric sobbing at what he’d seen, and Aaron praying to whoever was out there that they’d make it.


	2. The Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric seek shelter during the apocalypse at Eric’s family farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

After hours of driving the next morning, the two reached the farm. They had stopped once at a pharmacy in a small town that only had three other shops. Thankfully, they only encountered a few lone roamers, and zero people, as Aaron had sped through the back country roads, avoiding the highways and cities. 

The farmhouse was eerily quiet, yet it seemed relatively unaffected by the roamers. The couple looked at each other, anxiety filling their eyes. They slowly pulled up to the driveway, gripping each other’s hands. The house and barn came into view as they passed the creaking gate. 

“Something must have happened here, Aaron,” Eric noted cautiously.

“What do you mean?” 

“I know I haven’t been around here in a while, but my family would never just leave the gate open.” 

“It’ll be alright. We just have to be careful.” Aaron assured him. 

Aaron turned off the car off. They looked at each other, both drawing strength from the other. They took a deep breath and got out of the car. Aaron armed with a pistol and Eric with a crowbar, they walked to slowly to the silent farmhouse, watching the other’s back. 

Aaron tried the door handle, noticing it was unlocked. He pushed the door open with a creak, and entered the house with his gun drawn. 

The house was a mess. Furniture was thrown everywhere, and broken glass littered the floor.

“There must have been a struggle,” Eric observed, glass crunching beneath his shoes. The pair went in opposite directions as they inspected the house. 

“Anything?” Eric whispered towards Aaron who was making his way into the basement area.

“Nothing,” Aaron whispered back. “Looks empty to… oh god.”

Eric stopped in his tracks and watched as Aaron stood near the doorway to the basement, slowly putting down his gun. He had a familiar look on his face that Eric saw far too often, disappointment, confusion, sadness.

“Is it them?” Eric asked, not really looking forward to the answer.

“No, but there’s a lot of blood.” 

“Hold on, I’m coming.” 

Aaron tried the light switch, but the lights didn’t even flicker. He unsheathed his flashlight from his pack and carefully made his way down the stairs, Eric close to him. 

When he turned the corner, he was overwhelmed with the smell of the dead. Aaron grabbed on to Eric as two roamers with Eric’s copper hair turned towards them, growling and reaching out. 

Eric stifled a cry as Aaron released four rounds into the heads of the roamers. 

“Who were they?” Aaron asked sadly.

“It looked like my cousins Lucy and Rich,” he said flatly, “I didn’t know them very well, but they didn’t deserve this.” 

“No one does,” Aaron said pulling Eric into his chest.

Eric cleared his throat, “The roamer that got them must have crawled up and out of the basement... do you think it’s still here?” 

“Only one way to find out.” 

Sure enough, the roamer from the basement had followed the sound of the gunshots and surprised Eric as he turned the corner. 

“Eric! Watch it!” Aaron shouted.

“I got it!” Eric shouted. He raised his arms and bashed the roamer’s head against the wall three times for good measure. Falling back into the wall behind him, sweat lining his forehead, he wiped a bloody hand across his face in exasperation, “Let’s look at the rest of the house,” gasped Eric as Aaron helped him to his feet.   
********************************************  
After the rest of the house had been cleared, Aaron and Eric dragged the roamers outside too the backyard. They would bury them later. 

“What happened here?” Asked Aaron, sitting next to Eric on the porch and pulling him close as the sun was setting. 

“My guess: The roamers probably came, got Lucy and Rich, and the rest of the family thought they would try their luck on the road,” Eric sniffed, kissing Aaron’s temple, “but it looks like most of the roamers moved on, which means...” Eric said as he climbed on to Aaron’s lap, cupping his stubbly face, “we get the place to ourselves.” 

Aaron chuckled, “Just us,” he added, smirking as he kissed Eric deeply. Aaron moaned, shutting his eyes. He was surprised when Eric pulled away. 

“I’m gonna make dinner. They left a lot of food in the pantry, so you get to choose between soup or spaghetti tonight.” 

“Ooh, definitely soup tonight,” he smiled, brushing Eric’s hair across his forehead. 

“Soup it is then,” he sweetly kissed Aaron, just happy they had made it another day.


	3. The Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron makes a promise and commitment to Eric as they continue to survive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Despite the world having ended, Aaron and Eric were pretty content, having been able to live a few weeks in the farmhouse without any major problems. They still lived with the horror of the walking dead roaming around almost everyday, but at least they had shelter and each other. If anything the apocalypse had made their relationship stronger. That’s why Aaron wanted to surprise Eric with something nice that evening. 

While Eric was taking a nap on the couch before dinner, Aaron snuck some blankets and candles to the roof of the barn where they kept watch every night. He wanted to reintroduce date night in the apocalypse. When he was finished setting up, he began working on dinner. He thought spaghetti would be the best meal considering it was on Spaghetti Friday when the first said ‘I love you’ to each other. 

Eric shot up from his place on the couch, looking around for any signs of danger, for that was the norm these days. 

“You okay there, sleeping beauty?” Aaron asked from the kitchen.

“Yeah, it’s just you never know when you wake up if there will be a monster gnawing on you leg, smart ass,” he joked rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “How long was I out?” 

“Only about an hour. I’m almost done with dinner. Is spaghetti okay?”

“Absolutely! Just like old times,” he walked over and planted a kiss on Aaron’s face. 

“That’s what I was aiming for,” Aaron checked the pasta to make sure it was done. They had to cook using propane canisters and water from the well. Sure it was different but they were together, and they were lucky, so they definitely weren’t complaining. 

“All done?” 

“All done, babe,” Aaron said. With Eric’s help started putting together their bowls, “How about we eat outside tonight? It’s really nice out. I also might have a surprise for you on top of the barn,” he said seductively with a wink.

“You won’t hear me complaining,” admitted Eric with his goofy grin.

They headed up to the roof, Aaron leading the way, “Okay, you have to close your eyes.” He took a moment to light the candles and hugged Eric from behind. 

Eric giggled, “Is this what dating you as a teenager would have been like?” 

Aaron laughed, “Definitely not. I was so far in the closet back then. You can open your eyes now.” 

Eric opened his eyes and let out a laugh, covering his mouth in amazement. There were several blankets laid out to keep them comfortable and candles to set the mood. 

“Aaron, this is amazing! Who knew the end of the world could be so romantic.” 

Aaron laughed, “Anything for you, love. Now should we eat?” 

“Definitely.”

The couple ate dinner like they did before the world went to hell. They joked and laughed and made each other happy. After they finished dinner, Aaron looked at Eric with so much love in his eyes. Aaron then took Eric’s bowl and set it in his own. They could wash the dishes later. 

“Alright, come over here,” Aaron said pulling Eric off of the ground. Eric smiled as Aaron led him around to the area with the blankets. 

Aaron’s heart was pounding in his chest as he faced Eric. He had made a decision the day they got settled into the farmhouse, holding each other for dear life as a couple roamers crossed their path, that he wanted to spend his whole life with Eric. He fondled the ring in his pocket, and let out an exhale. He then took Eric’s slender hands in his. 

“Eric, I love you with all my heart. You’re my everything. We've been with each other for so many years, and my love for you grows everyday. From bagels to surviving the end of the world, you have been there for me through the good and bad times, never leaving my side. You’re the love of my life, and I can’t imagine life without you,” Aaron stated, each syllable dropping with emotion. He pulled out Eric’s ring, “Marry me?” 

Eric drew in a sharp breath, happy tears forming in his eyes, “Yes,” he sniffed, “Yes, of course! Oh my god,” he exclaimed, hugging Aaron fiercely. “I love you so much.” He let Aaron slip the ring onto his finger; it fit perfectly. Eric laughed into his shoulder as he embraced him again. 

They pulled apart, kissing each other as if they could lose each other at any moment. When they stopped kissing, they rested their foreheads together, opening their eyes. 

“Where did you get the ring?” Asked Eric.

“It’s your grandfather’s. Miriam gave it to me last Hanukkah after we exchanged gifts. She said she could see us together forever,” he kissed Eric once more, “She was right.” 

Eric hummed contently, “Do you get a ring?” 

Aaron pulled out another gold ring from his pocket that looked similar to Eric’s, “When we were checking out the pharmacy there was a small jewelry store next door. I may have sneaked over and got myself something nice,” Aaron chuckled handing the ring to Eric.

“Do you mind?” Eric asked, indicating he wanted to put the ring on Aaron’s finger.

“Go ahead, love,” he said as he gave Eric his hand. 

Eric slipped the ring onto Aaron’s finger, smiling widely as he did. He gave the back of Aaron’s hand a soft kiss.   
********************************************  
A while later, the two were laying naked against each other in the pile of blankets on the roof of the barn. Aaron’s arms were wrapped around Eric’s thin form as he was lightly rubbing small circles on Aaron’s forearm, reveling in how perfect the ring felt on his finger. 

“Aaron?” 

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to take my last name? I mean not that it matters, but you have been my family for so long. It seems fitting.”

“I would love that,” Aaron smiled sweetly into Eric’s bare shoulder. 

“Aaron?” Eric asked again.

“Yes, husband?” 

“Thanks for tonight. It was perfect.”

“Thank you for everything... I-I know that we can make it, together. Me and you, we can get through anything— always.” He held Eric a little tighter that night, “We’ll be okay.”


	4. Abandoning the Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric are forced to abandon their shelter at the farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Two days later their luck ran out. Aaron was washing his face on the porch when he heard the growls. He instantly felt panic rise in his chest. Eric was out inspecting the fence for damage. He had a flare if anything were to go wrong, but he had insisted on not taking a gun as to avoid more roamers following the noises to the farm. As soon as he got up to find Eric, he saw him running towards the house.

“Aaron! Run!” Eric shouted from afar. Aaron took his gun from his belt and ran towards him, “The other way, idiot!” Exclaimed an exasperated Eric. 

When Aaron caught up to him he could see it. An enormous herd of fifty or more roamers shambling towards the farm, “Oh my god.”

The pair continued to sprint for the house, “I know! We have to get our stuff and get the hell out of here!” Yelled Eric over his pounding heart and the growling, “Are the bags packed?” 

“Yeah, I’ll start the car, you get the packs. I’ll cover you if they get close,” he stopped to give Eric a deep kiss on the lips as they made their separate ways. 

A few moments later, Eric emerged from the house with their packs and two blankets. Aaron shot at three roamers that had gotten a little too close for comfort to Eric as he sprinted for the car. 

“I think we got everything,” he said, out of breath, “Now floor it.” 

Aaron didn’t need to be told twice. He hit the gas, and the couple were on their way. They didn’t know where, but at least they had each other.   
********************************************

Within a few weeks the world had gone to hell. Just over a month after Aaron and Eric left their home barely anywhere was safe. Electricity had cut out, taps had stopped running, petrol was hard to get, and day after day more of the undead walked around the empty streets and fields looking for their next victim. It was like a switch had been flicked, and suddenly there was nothing.

The couple had long since abandoned their car, having no petrol cans left in the boot giving them no choice but to park it at the side of the road and carry on by foot. It was a lot scarier walking down the long roads in the middle of nowhere, out in the open where any of the creatures could pop out from between the trees. Aaron and Eric didn’t even have a plan as to where they would go. They’d stopped at friend’s houses weeks before, nobody in sight, some found in their homes with wounds to their heads.

There was nowhere for them to run to. So the pair just kept walking. They’d walk until they came to a small town or a row of abandoned houses, staying for a night or two, scrounging for food wherever they could. Sometimes they’d come across people, some would offer them food and be on their way, whilst others threw threats at them to leave them be or run away from them in fear of being robbed. The world was a different place, but they knew they had no choice but to get used to it.

It was a hot day when Aaron and Eric came across an uninhibited house in the middle of a field. It used to be a farm by the looks of it, a giant, red barn not far off in the distance, some empty horse stables to its left, and some pens that clearly used to hold chickens. The two climbed the front porch steps quietly, Aaron holding his gun up ready whilst Eric held onto a hefty crowbar in a tight grip, before the red head slowly opened up the front door.  
Aaron went in first, taking steady and noiseless steps as not to attract any unwanted attention from what might be inside. Eric followed behind, leaving the door wide open encase they needed a quick escape, they’d both learnt by now that during the end of the world they had to be fast, not just from the dead but from other humans too.

The house had turned out to be empty. Eric had walked around the house closing all the curtains, whilst Aaron hefted chairs against the front and back door just in case, and by the time the sun had set they’d set up camp in the comfortable sized living room. Aaron had found some blankets hiding in the closet under the stairs, so the pair huddled together on the dusty sofa and sat silently, listening to the bugs squeaking and chirping outside as they ate half a chocolate bar each.

“You cold?” Aaron asked Eric when the silence became too much.

Eric, with his head resting on his husband’s shoulder, looked up at him, “Just a little.”

“Want me to light the fire?”

“No.” Eric said with a shiver. “God knows what we’ll attract.”

Aaron nodded, it was a silly question really, but truth be told the house was freezing and he could see the tips of Eric’s nose and ears turning red.

“We could get naked though.”

Aaron laughed out loud at Eric’s idea and the cheeky smile that appeared on his face, “Yeah? Are you really cold or just trying to get my clothes off, Eric?” Aaron asked with a grin.

Eric shrugged, laughing lightly. “Well, both.”

Turns out sleeping naked on the couch with the layers of blankets wrapped around them wasn’t such a bad idea. With Eric practically wrapped up in Aaron’s arms, his body was feeling a whole lot warmer.


	5. Back to the City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running from zombies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

“Eric, run!”

As soon as he saw Aaron running towards him, followed by a rather large herd of zombies, the red head was up off the floor and taking a hold of Aaron’s hand as they ran for their lives.

They’d come across a small town somewhere east of Washington D.C according to a sign, which meant that they’d doubled back on their route and found themselves back in their home state. It hadn’t made a difference since they’d been walking for months now and hadn’t really planned on going anywhere specific, and when they’d come across the empty, undead free town they were more than relieved at finding somewhere to stay for the night.

That was until Aaron had gone alone to find some grub at one of the town’s old bakeries. He’d just about managed to fit some tins of god only knows what into his bag when he’d heard them, snarling, moaning, wailing, as they shuffled their feet against the concrete. Aaron was out the door in seconds, practically inches away from the first corpse that reached its rotten hands out towards him. He’d dodged it just in time, his heart skipping a beat at the near miss before he was sprinting down one of the streets and turning a corner to find Eric.

As soon as he felt Eric grip his hand he was darting down the road, both men suddenly fearing for their lives for the first time in a while.

“Keep going!” Aaron yelled, as they turned a corner.

Neither slowed down as they ran down another empty street, past broken down cars and bloodied dead bodies on the ground. It felt like they’d been running for hours on end as they got closer to the end of the road, Aaron beginning to feel panic rising in himself as Eric felt sick to the stomach at the thought of all those walkers following so close behind.

It didn’t take long for the couple to be slowed down as they ran past a brick building. Out from the alleyway to their right came a walking corpse, jaw practically dangling off, knotted hair smeared in crimson, body cloaked in dirt and blood from top to bottom. Aaron noticed it first, with one swift movement he came to an abrupt stop and threw himself in front of Eric, the biter dived towards them as Aaron grabbed a hold of the creature by its shoulders.

“Aaron!” Eric gasped, almost losing his footing as his boyfriend fought against the walker’s weight. “Keep him still!”

Aaron dug his fingers into the corpse and tried with all he had to keep it at arm’s length. “A little hard to keep him still!”

Eric, in panic, yanked at the dagger that rested in his belt, “Got it!” He cried.

The red head quickly took his place beside Aaron and with one hasty swing of his arm he slid the blade into the biter’s skull, its body going slack and falling with a loud thud to the ground. Aaron sighed heavily in relief.

“Thanks, Eric.”

“Didn’t think I was going to let you get eaten, did you?” Eric chuckled, slipping his knife back into place.

Aaron grinned, punching Eric playfully on the arm.

Reality soon hit them when they heard shuffling feet getting closer. Smiles were swiftly wiped off their faces when they saw a few of the dead turning the corner, and heading straight for them.

“We need to get out of here.” Aaron said, automatically taking a hold of Eric’s hand.

“We should hide, Aaron.” Eric said as they began walking fast.

“Yeah, that would be best.”

Eric then looked down the alley as they passed, noticing the side of the building had a metal staircase leading to a door on the second floor.

“Aaron.” He tugged the other man into the alleyway.

Aaron had no idea what was on Eric’s mind as he was pulled down the backstreet, more corpses littering the floor and dozens of dustbins on their sides with garbage spilling out. It wasn’t until Eric was leading him over to a metal stairway that he understood what he was doing.

Hastily they climbed the stairs two at a time, never once letting go of each other’s hands until they reached the top. They gave one another a look as they stood outside the thick, steel door, both feeling their hearts beat inside their chests as Aaron reached for the door handle. They held their breaths, the sound of approaching feet seconds away from turning the corner, and Aaron grasped the handle and pushed down. The handle gave way with a slight screech. Eric sighed audibly next to his husband who quickly opened the door all the way.

“Hurry!” Aaron gestured Eric to go into the lit room first.

Aaron dived in right after him and hurriedly closed the door behind them, making sure not to make too much noise when sliding the hatch and locking them inside. The only sound that could be heard was of their heavy breathing, and the moaning of the monsters outside, dragging their heavy feet along the cobble.

“Do you think they’ll follow us?” Eric asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

Aaron shook his head. “No, no they’re too stupid.”

Eric couldn’t help but smile.

Turns out they’d ended up in an empty, small room with a huge hole in the roof. They weren’t going to complain since they technically had shelter and a hiding place from the undead that were sneaking about, and they did snatch a blanket from a house not long ago. Both men took a quick glance around the place, deciding it had nothing but an empty saucepan in one corner and a dirty desk chair in the other.

The sun was starting to set when they both sat down opposite the window, blanket shared between them as they held onto one another for comfort and warmth. It wasn’t exactly what they had in mind when they wanted to find somewhere to sleep for the night, the floor was cold and hard, the air was quite chilly and now and again they could hear walkers outside shuffling by. But they were safe, for one more night.

The couple couldn’t sleep yet. Too stunned by their close encounter hours before, the closest encounter they’d had since the beginning of the end of the world. Eric couldn’t stop talking about how he missed his favorite pizza place and movies. Aaron was sitting contently as he listened to his boyfriends soft voice.

His comfort didn’t last long when he decided to straighten out his leg, letting out a hiss as he squeezed his eyes shut. Of course, Eric noticed.

“Aaron?” he said as he sat up. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” Aaron answered quickly, biting his bottom lip.

Eric just rolled his eyes. “Quit lying and tell me what’s wrong.”

Aaron sighed in defeat. Slowly he turned his leg to the side to reveal a tear along his jeans about four inches long, it had obviously been bleeding quite a bit from the amount of dry blood coated on the clothing.

“Shit, Aaron!” Eric gasped in shock. 

“When the hell did you do that?” he asked as he moved to get his bag.

“When we were running up the stairs I think.” He answered. “Caught it on something sticking out of the staircase. Ah! It hurts.”

Eric wanted to knock Aaron’s head against the wall, but decided he was in enough pain as it was. “Duh! You should have told me Aaron, it could be infected. I’m a nurse... or I was a nurse. I could have helped”

Aaron just shrugged, biting his lip, as Eric brought out his first aid kit sitting in his bag, before he started pulling stuff out and scattering them all over the floor in frustration. The brunette could tell by the worried look on Eric’s face that he’d made the wrong move.

“Sorry.” Aaron said. “I just didn’t want to worry you, after all that running and fearing for our lives and I go and cut myself on a damn staircase. With all the adrenaline and such I didn’t really notice anyway.”

“Aaron,” Eric began as he teared open a packet with antibacterial wipes inside. “you can’t keep something like this from me, okay? No matter what, we’re in this together, and if you’re hurt I want to help you.”

Aaron bowed his head in defeat. “I know, I’m sorry Eric.” He hissed when his lover teared a bigger hole in his jeans and applied the antiseptic. “Ow, that stings!”

“Serves you right.” Eric grinned cheekily.   
“Next time tell me.”

“Yes, sir.” Aaron chuckled lightly, dying to rub at the wound from the slight itch and pain.

It didn’t take long for Eric to clean out the cut with a couple of wipes, and bandage it with a large plaster. Luckily the wound wasn’t too deep and Eric even joked that he wouldn’t have to amputate his husband’s leg, Aaron’s response being a nudge to the arm and a kiss on the lips as a thank you.

“Any other injuries I should know about?” Eric asked with a smirk as he sat back against the wall.

Aaron laughed. “No, not that I know of.”

“Good.” Eric smiled, reaching for the blanket that had fallen to the cold floor.

Aaron smiled softly as he watched Eric rearrange the cotton cover, draping it across them both. The red head snuggled in closely to his boyfriend and rested his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes in contentment as Aaron got comfortable with the bundle of Eric practically sitting in his lap. The older of the two couldn’t help but smile to himself as Eric let out a loud sigh.

“M’sleepy.” Eric mumbled.

“Go to sleep, sweetheart.” Aaron whispered, leaning down a little to kiss the top of Eric’s head. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Was his quiet reply.

Aaron relaxed back against the wall, gazing out through the hole in the roof. By now his leg was gradually dying down to a dull pain but felt a lot better than it had before Eric had fixed it up. Aaron sighed inaudibly, counting each star in the dark sky in his mind, his head tilting to the side to rest against Eric’s gently. He hadn’t felt this peaceful in a long while, and it felt perfect.


	6. The Store

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric take shelter in an abandoned store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

They were running from zombies again. It was becoming a habit really, every now and again they’d bump into either a couple of the dead or a massive herd that kept together like one big mob. The only good thing that Eric said came out of it was the constant exercise, but Aaron would come back with the fact that their lack of food was thinning them out anyway. It just made Aaron worry about Eric who was losing weight he couldn’t afford to lose. 

Even the weather had its bad days. Like today, two weeks after they’d been chased down the street and Aaron injured his leg, which was by now healed nicely, they were trying to get away from a large group of walkers who crept up on them out of the woods. It was bad enough running in the sweltering heat, but when the skies opened up and chucked down heavy rain it was just as bad.

The sky was covered in black clouds, thunder roaring loudly every few minutes and the rain hadn’t stopped in at least an hour. Aaron and Eric were jogging down the road in their soaked through clothing, eyes squinting to try and see through the blinding raindrops as they came close to a garage up ahead. It looked deserted from the outside, a few cars lay forgotten next to the petrol pumps and empty cans of the gasoline littered the ground, the small building itself looked like it hadn’t been touched, until the pair went inside.

Aaron and Eric scrambled inside the shop, elated to be out of the cold, wet rain after hours on the road. Their hearts sank when they looked around and saw that the place had been ransacked from top to bottom, some shelves tipped over and every glass fridge smashed through. Eric groaned as he shook off some rain water on his coat before walking around, Aaron immediately locking the door after seeing the herd of walkers not far in the distance through the window.

“Are they heading this way?” Eric asked as he snooped around the small room.

“Don’t think so,” Aaron answered. “Looks like they’re heading for the cars...must be something inside.”

“As long as they don’t come here, I’m good with that.” Eric sighed, looking around at all the practically empty shelves. “So, would you like a can of cold, out of date rice pudding?” Eric said, holding up a can and giving it a shake.  
Aaron just laughed.

Half an hour later after they’d checked the back room and shed their drenched clothing to hang to dry over the shelves, Aaron and Eric sat behind the shop’s counter, wrapped in their blanket, taking turns eating out of the small can of rice pudding. Eric sat back against Aaron’s chest as he took a tiny spoonful of the dessert and put it in his mouth, grimacing at the fowl taste as it went down.

“You know,” Eric began, handing the last spoonful of the pudding over to his husband. “If I knew we’d be sitting naked in a shop in the middle of the apocalypse months ago, I would have brought extra socks.”

Aaron chuckled, sitting back with a sigh and holding Eric closer. “Cold feet?”

“Cold everything.” Eric snorted. He tossed his head to the side, using one hand to pull Aaron’s head forward to meet him in a kiss. The kiss started off sweet and innocent before Eric turned to his side for better access, slipping his tongue passed his lover’s lips. Aaron moaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms tighter around his smaller boyfriend.

It had been so long since they’d done anything remotely as passionate, being too caught up in trying not to get eaten by zombies and concentrating on finding food and water all day every day. So this, this was something the couple had missed one hell of a lot.

Eric broke the fervent kiss, breathing heavy between them. He grinned up at Aaron who looked like he was about to pass out. “You okay there?”

Aaron smiled blissfully. “Was that your way of asking for forgiveness?”

Eric shrugged. “Did it work?”

“Oh, it worked.”

They both laughed quietly before Aaron couldn’t help himself and kissed Eric hard on the lips, hands exploring in total need. 

“God,” Aaron breathed out between kisses. “I want you so badly right now.”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Eric asked in all seriousness.

“Eric,” Aaron said, letting out a frustrated sigh. “You know we can’t… you know… do that without protection.”

Aaron was expecting Eric to just except it and just start making out with him again before both of them exploded with want, but what he wasn’t expecting was the mischievous smirk that suddenly appeared on his face. Aaron had seen that smirk before.

“Eric,” he said, sitting back a little to look him straight in the eye. “What are you thinking?”

Suddenly Eric was grinning from ear to ear before he reached behind Aaron to retrieve something, and held it up. “I’m thinking since someone left this box of condoms on the shelf, we could totally do it.”

Aaron stared at him with mouth wide open, then to the box of rubbers Eric held in his hand.

Eric laughed out loud before Aaron tackled him to the floor, putting all his weight on top of him and holding his arms above his head. The red head continued to laugh as Aaron held him down. “You should have seen your face!” Aaron laughed above him, Eric’s laughter becoming contagious. 

Within minutes the blanket was discarded, there was a lot more heavy breathing, and the box of condoms had been ripped open. It was safe to say the pair had completely forgotten about the herd of zombies looming outside.


	7. Aaron’s Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric has a surprise for Aaron on his birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

“Hey Aaron,” Eric nudged his husband, who was half asleep. “Guess what day it is.”

Aaron groaned, keeping his eyes shut and snuggling further into the car seat. Eric grinned down at his husband before looking back at the diary he held in his hand, using the red pen he’d found not long ago to circle the bold letters that read October twenty fifth.

They’d found an abandoned car in the middle of the woods hours ago and decided they both needed rest and somewhere to stay for the night. Aaron had instantaneously collapsed in the backseat whilst Eric napped next to him for about twenty minutes before taking out his diary to read through what he’d written those past few months.

Not a lot had happened, chased by the undead, finding buildings to sleep in, scrapings of food to eat, same old every day. Each day Eric would take out his diary that he’d brought with him and cross out the date, hating the feeling of one day not knowing what day or month it was, the feeling of time lost and life coming to a standstill. So keeping track of the dates helped. It made him think of friend’s birthdays and memories he had from years before. And October the twenty fifth was one of his favourite days.

Eric smiled, tracing one last red circle around the date before sliding the green diary back into his backpack. The red head took another glimpse at Aaron who seemed to have slowly slipped back into sleep, before he flipped open the front pocket of his bag and pulled out two objects. He glanced at the objects in his hand before looking back at Aaron, biting his lip in thought, before deciding that he should let him sleep after all.

Aaron awoke with a start. Bolting upright in his seat he breathed heavily and uneasily, eyes darting around the car in worry after one of the worst nightmares he’d had in a while. It didn’t help that Eric was nowhere to be seen, he couldn’t even make out if he was outside of the car for the forest was now pitch black. He couldn’t help the stray tears falling from his eyes as the panic overtook him. 

“Eric?” Aaron called, hand moving to the latch on the door.

Before the man could take a hold of it the door on the other side of the car opened up suddenly, making Aaron jump in surprise, and in flew Eric looking flushed and way too happy.

“Hey! You’re awake!” Eric grinned.

“Eric!” Aaron almost yelled, making Eric’s smile disappear and eyes widen in surprise. “Where the hell did you go? It’s dark out!”

Eric held up the torch they’d found the day before. “I used this.”

“Jesus Christ, Eric!” Aaron sighed, running a hand through his hair before bending forward in his seat, hands moving to cover his face. “Fuck.” He mumbled through his hands.

Eric suddenly felt like the biggest idiot in the world. “Aaron?” he practically whispered, putting a hand on his lover’s back, only now noticing that he was shaking. “God, Aaron, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to… I… I was fine… I was just…”

“No.” Aaron grumbled, sitting up and taking a hold of Eric’s free hand. “I’m sorry, I overreacted.”

Eric gave his hand a squeeze, seeing the unshed tears behind Aaron’s eyes. “It’s okay, I get it. I should have said something, I just didn’t want to wake you.”

Aaron shook his head. “I had a nightmare, Eric.” He said. “It’s why I… I thought… shit I thought I was still asleep.”

Then Eric understood. “It wasn’t real, whatever you saw, it wasn’t real.”

“It felt real.” Aaron whispered, tightening his hold on his lover’s hand. “They had you Eric, they had you and… and I couldn’t… god, I’ll never be able to get that image out of my head.”

“They don’t have me.” Eric said, making sure he had Aaron’s complete attention. “You hear? They don’t have me, and they never will.“

“You always know how to turn a shitty situation into a good one, huh?”

“It’s what I’m here for.” Eric smiled toothily, reaching a hand up to wipe at a stray tear that had fallen down the other’s cheek, “But seriously though,” he said, “I’m here, okay? Whenever you have nightmares or if you need me, for anything, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Aaron nodded, pulling Eric down to lay by his side, clutching onto him as tight as possible. The red head hung on just as tight as his eyes closed with his head against the other’s shoulder, before he knew it he was drifting off to the sound of Aaron’s heartbeat. 

This time it was Eric who woke with a start. The younger of the two almost jolted in his seat which made Aaron, who was still holding onto him, shift slightly to let him sit up. Aaron couldn’t help but smile at the look of utter confusion on Eric’s face as he gaped at him.

“You okay there, sleeping beauty?”

Eric sighed. “Damn it, we have got to stop falling asleep at the most inappropriate times.”

Aaron chuckled. “Inappropriate? How exactly?”

“How long was I out?” Eric asked, avoiding the other’s question entirely, fidgeting in his seat to get to his bag.

“Not long, I’d say half hour or so.”

“Oh,” Eric froze in his tracks, looking much more cheerful at the news. “So it’s still the same day then?”

Aaron nodded. “I’d say so yeah.”

“Okay, good!”

“Eric?” Aaron called, starting to wonder why on earth his boyfriend was rummaging through his bag like he was on a mission. “Why exactly does it have to be the same day, and what the hell are you trying to find?”

“You’ll see.” He sing-songed.

Aaron waited a good few minutes, after staring at Eric’s back the whole time as he fiddled with something he’d pulled out with a victorious cry. The older man got even more curious than to begin with when whatever Eric had in his hands suddenly lit up, before he turned around to face Aaron to show him what he held onto.

Eric grinned from ear to ear as he held onto an orange candle, about the size of his index finger, the flame flickering brightly in the darkness of the car. Aaron stared down at the candle then up at Eric in confusion.

“A candle?”

“Yeah.” Eric chuckled. “Happy birthday, handsome.”

Aaron kept staring for what seemed like forever at the thing before he realised that Eric was being serious. “It’s my birthday?”  
“Yes,” Eric said. “It’s October the twenty fifth, I’ve been keeping tabs remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, your diary but… how did you… where on earth did you find a candle?”

“It’s your birthday which means you can totally get a birthday present off me, and yet you’re curious as to where I got the candle?”

“And the lighter.” Aaron grinned, laughing lightly at the way Eric started to pout. “I’m guessing you ransacked a store, right?”

“Yes,” Eric sighed, knocking Aaron’s knee with his own, “So,” Eric began, “Make a wish.”

Aaron smiled, locking eyes with Eric as he soundlessly made his wish. I wish for Eric to be safe. There’s nothing else he would or could wish for. And with that he leaned forward to blow out the orange candle.

“What you wish for?” Eric asked excitedly.  
Aaron snorted. “It won’t come true if I tell you, Eric.”

Eric sighed. “Spoil sport.”

Aaron chuckled, taking the candle from his hand and putting it on the seat beside him. “So. This birthday present you mentioned…”

Eric giggled, he thought Aaron would never ask, of course he just had to comply. So with that, the red head slung a leg across the other’s limbs before pushing himself all the way up, sitting himself in Aaron’s lap. Aaron beamed as Eric wound his arms around his neck and leaned in for a short and simple kiss on the lips.

“Since the shop’s stock is pretty shit these days, I’m afraid my present is gonna have to be pretty physical.” Eric said with a smile.

“Oh yeah?” Aaron said, trying so hard not to break into a fit of laughter. “How physical?”

“You’re going to have to move quite a bit.” Eric shrugged, as Aaron couldn’t stop himself from laughing a little. “How’s your flexibility?” Eric chuckled, leaning forward to plant a kiss to Aaron’s forehead. “Think you can keep up, old man?”

Aaron tugged Eric forward and drew him into a fervent kiss, hands gripping clothes and hair and breathing suddenly becoming heavy. “I think I can handle it.” Aaron mumbled between kisses, holding onto Eric as he tipped him onto his back.  
The orange candle and the nightmare were completely forgotten for quite some time.

“Eric?” Aaron whispered into the dark a few hours later, as the two lay across the backseat of the car, Eric’s back fitting snuggly against Aaron’s front.

“Yeah?” Eric answered shortly after.

“Thank you.”

Eric was silent for a few seconds. “Did you just thank me for sex?”

Aaron laughed wholeheartedly, knowing that Eric knew exactly what he was thanking him for. The candle, the song, everything. “Yes Eric, for the sex. Thank you for the great sex.”

Eric chuckled, gripping Aaron’s hand tighter in his own. “You’re welcome, Aaron.” He said softly. “Anything for you.”  
Minutes later Aaron could hear the heavy, level breathing of his lover, telling him that he’d fallen asleep. He smiled to himself, placing a kiss on the back of Eric’s shoulder before he too drifted into unconsciousness. This time, Aaron’s dream was something he could smile about.


	8. In the Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are both sick of running from the undead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

It was cold. It was cold, and windy, and raining buckets full. Washington had been sunny, and a little warm for weeks, and the one day Aaron and Eric decide to move onto somewhere new to find more food and other gear, the skies decide to open and rain down on them. They’d been on the road for what felt like hours, it had started pouring lightly at first, that was until they’d found a road to walk down and got drenched within seconds.

The only luck they’d had was not bumping into any undead on their trail for at least an hour. That was until they’d strolled into an open space on either side of the road, a small herd stumbling towards them on their left. Eric hadn’t the energy to bother running for it, nor did Aaron who just sighed at the sight of them. They’d been running for too long now, they were tired, cold, wet, hungry and really not in the mood.

“Come on,” Aaron said across the patters of the rain, putting an arm around Eric and pushing him on. “We’ll find somewhere to hide.”

But of course there wasn’t anywhere to hide. On both sides of them were open fields all around, trees dotted here and there, no houses or barns in sight.  
“There’s nowhere to hide Aaron.” Eric groaned wearily. “What are we going to do?”

Aaron kept a hold of the other man, their pace quickening at the realisation that there was nowhere to run. “We’ll find somewhere, just keep going.”

So the couple did just that. They walked in the rain until they were a good distance away from the crowd of walkers, their gruesome figures just a dark outline against the falling rain. Once Aaron felt like they were safe for now, he directed Eric onto the grass, the pair trudging through the muddy field to try and find somewhere to lay low for the night.  
Yet again it felt like they walked for hours, both men getting fed up from the soggy socks to the zombies following behind who clearly weren’t giving up anytime soon. It seemed like fate hated them that day for nothing or no one was around to give them a break.

“Look,” he said, pointing to his right. “The tree.”

Eric gazed at it in confusion. “Yes, it’s a tree.” He said with a teasing tone. “Too bad it’s not sprouting apples, or even better, a nice stack of pancakes and bacon.”

Aaron chuckled, suddenly changing direction and taking Eric with him. “We’ll have to hide there, or those damn biters will be following us in every direction.”

“Hide? Aaron, unless it has a secret door to Narnia I doubt we can hide in a tree.”

“We can, just not inside it.”

And that was how they ended up sitting in a huge tree. It took them only minutes for Aaron to hoist Eric up onto the first thick branch before being pulled up, then climbing a little higher to settle down near enough to the top. Aaron put his back to the trunk before Eric fell back to rest on his husband’s chest, and within seconds Eric had drifted off into a deep, needed sleep. They still got wet, but with the bushy blanket of leaves above them it wasn’t so bad as before.

Thankfully the zombies were stupid enough to just walk on by the tree, not noticing the two figures sitting above them quietly. Eric was asleep as Aaron held onto him, looking out at the foggy field and thinking to himself.

“Did I just fall asleep?” Eric grumbled minutes later, as the skies calmed and darkened. 

Aaron hummed his reply, leaning his head forward to plant a kiss on the other’s cheek. “You needed it, sweetheart.”  
Eric sighed. “You should get some sleep too.” He said, holding onto him tighter.  
“You need it more than I do. I got some yesterday.”

Eric just rolled his eyes, “Don’t you start, you haven’t slept in probably a hell of a lot more than twelve hours, so shut up and sleep.”

Aaron chuckled softly. “I have no choice do I?”

“Nope,” Eric said, twisting around a little to look him in the eye. “You know how arguments with me go, babe.”

“Oh, I do.” Aaron grinned, inching forward to steal a quick kiss. “They always end in me losing.”

“Exactly,” Eric grinned back. “Now get some sleep.”

“Yes, sir.”

And with that Aaron leant back against the hard trunk of the tree, wiggling a tad to get comfy, drawing Eric back onto his chest again. Having Eric that close always made him feel more at ease and relaxed, knowing that he wasn’t in any danger or close to it, which made it much easier to close his eyes and drift into a deep sleep.  
Eric turned a little to the side, smiling back at the love of his life who was practically knocked out with his head resting on the bark, mouth just slightly ajar and snoring very gently.

“Goodnight, you big idiot.” He laughed quietly to himself, circling back to look out at the open field in front of them.

It was times like these which made everything seem normal again. Just him, Aaron, the sound of rain falling lightly onto the leaves, and the wind making the trees dance in the distance. But it wasn’t going to last, these moments never did, for in the morning everything would be back to the way it was. Searching for food and shelter, feeling exhausted, walking for hours on end, and running from the living dead.

Eric exhaled deeply, clutching tighter to Aaron’s hand held in his. Just another day at the end of the world. Just another day of surviving.


	9. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric gets injured while running, and he and Aaron deal with Aaron’s crippling guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

It had been three weeks of nothing. Three weeks of staying in the same small town in an abandoned bar, drinking the leftover fruit juices and flat pop, eating the stale canned food from the cellar, keeping dry and warm, meeting a couple of friendly people who were walking through to get to the rest of their family, and being able to put their packet of twenty rubbers to good use. Three weeks of near enough normality. Until that damn herd of about a hundred dead guys came strolling into the town.

They thought they’d be safe keeping quiet behind the thick walls of the bar, practically holding their breath as the zombies walked on by. And then Aaron went and dropped the one thing, yes the one thing that he held in his hand, which was none other than a bottle of brandy he’d found on the shelf that he was trying to put back. Aaron didn’t even like brandy.

Eric had stared at him in complete bafflement as the bottle fell to the floor with a loud smash, shards of glass flying in all directions. Aaron looked back at him with the most apologetic face he could muster, eyes wide like a lost puppy.

“I hope there’s another resort like this one around.” Eric said, before going straight into action and cutting Aaron out of his stupor. “Grab the food, let’s go!”

Aaron didn’t need to be told twice. The couple flew around the room grabbing as many essentials as they could find. Cartons of apple juice, tins full of rice and chocolate pudding, a blanket, some bandages they’d found nearby and some sharp knifes that had come in handy for their protection. All stuffs were lobbed into their backpacks, just as the undead came knocking at their door. More like banging on the windows, hands clawing at the walls, breaking down the barrier between them and possible death.

“Hurry!” Aaron practically yelled, swinging his bag onto his shoulder and opening the door to the back room.  
********************************************  
That had been about ten minutes ago. After they’d escaped out the back exit of the bar, came face to face with a hell of a lot of zombies, and fought their way through them to get out of the town. 

They’d jogged a little to keep a fair space between them and the walkers, and continued to walk from then on along the deserted, long road leading to who knew where.

Eric strode in the lead along the side of the road, balancing himself on the edges where a small dip curved down into the woodland, while Aaron stayed slightly behind watching his every uneasy step.  
“You can stop that, right now.”

Aaron was pulled out of his trance as Eric spoke up, carrying on with his balancing act. “Stop what?” the brunette asked.

Eric stopped then, spinning himself around to look up at a deflated Aaron, “The guilt. You look like someone just stole your favourite toy, Aaron. Don’t feel guilty about it.”

Aaron sighed, of course Eric knew exactly what he was thinking. “It was my fault though.”

“It was an accident.”

“Still my fault, Eric.”

The red head swung his arms in the air in frustration. “Aaron, it could have happened to anyone! You didn’t mean it, you tried to be quiet, but obviously Mr. High and mighty upstairs had other ideas.”

“I should have just left it in my hand.” 

Aaron said, looking down at the ground as not to see the upset look on his husband’s face, feeling so full of guilt for doing something so stupid. “You were so happy there, happier than I’ve seen you in so long and now I’ve gone and ruined it.”

“Oh, for goodness sake.”

Eric didn’t want to throw words back and forth, he didn’t want to see that kicked puppy look on his husband’s face, so he shut him up with a hug instead. The younger threw himself forward and wrapped his arms around Aaron’s middle, making sure to get his point across by holding on a little too tight.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay,” Eric whispered next to his ear, just about hearing the chuckle that passed Aaron’s lips. “We weren’t going to be there forever and you know it, so now’s the time to move on to somewhere new. Just, next time leave the brandy alone.”

This time he did get an audible laugh from his lover, followed by a quiet, “I love you, Eric.”

Eric smiled against the other man’s shoulder, about to return the words until he opened his eyes and gasped. “Uh, Aaron?”

“Yeah?”

“I think we’d better go.”

It didn’t take long for Aaron to notice the low groaning from somewhere in the distance behind him, nor did it take long for him and Eric to break apart, grab each other’s hand and keep walking. They were coming over the miniature hill were the herd of the dead, the same ones who’d taken a liking to their nice, homely bar, every single one of them.

It soon became serious when they noticed something else. On the right side of the road, through the woodland, hobbled more of the frightening figures with their snarling jaws and hungry eyes. One by one they came closer and closer into view, seeming more determined at the sight of breathing prey.

“Christ.” Aaron gasped under his breath, all guilt showering over him once more, thinking to himself that if he hadn’t have dropped that bottle then they wouldn’t be surrounded by hundreds of these flesh eating creatures.

But there was no time to dwell on it as the walkers practically charged at them. Aaron tightened his grip on Eric’s hand and began to make a run for it, looking back every few seconds to make sure the damn things were getting further and further behind, whilst Eric scanned in front encase there were more of them lurking up ahead.

All looked hopeful until they got out into the open and away from the forest, cutting through an open field. What they didn’t expect was for the field to be so muddy and rough, making it hard to run across and easier for the walkers to catch up, and what they weren’t planning on was for Eric’s foot to slip between two rocks and cause him to fall flat onto the ground.

With a painful cry Eric landed hard on his stomach and right on top of a few sharp rocks, head just centimetres away from one. Aaron in a state of utter horror didn’t hesitate to get down on his knees in the mud and gently help Eric turn over, noticing the pained expression on the other’s face.

“Shit!” Aaron breathed out, if there was one thing worse than living in this messed up world it was seeing the love of his life on the ground in pain, looking like he was about to pass out. “Eric? Sweetheart?” he comforted, helping him to sit up.

“Ah!” Eric hissed as he moved his leg, hand gripping under his thigh as blood mixed with mud around his knee where a large tear had been made. “My knee, fuck, it hurts.”

Aaron took a quick glance to his left, there, just a few meters away, were the hungry walkers. Some sunk into the sodden mud, some having fallen and unable to move, but the others had found a way through with no trouble in the least. Suddenly Aaron had no time to think at all before he went into ‘get the hell out of there’ mode.

“I’m sorry Eric,” he said before he wound an arm under his boyfriend’s knees and around his back. “This is probably going to hurt, but I’ve got to get you out of here.”

Eric’s eyes widened in realisation. “You’re not going to do what I think- ah!” Eric clenched his teeth through the pain as Aaron lifted him off of the ground, his arms winding around Aaron’s neck as he hid his head in the other’s collar to try and muffle the cries he couldn’t help but let escape.

“I’m so sorry!” Aaron apologised, holding Eric tight in his arms as he trod with every bit of strength he had through the rough terrain. “I promise I’ll get that knee better, I’ve just got to get you to safety first.”

Eric answered with a whimper, making Aaron’s heart sink at the unfamiliar sound. He hated this, every minute of it, the situation had been bad enough but of course it had to get even worse with Eric being the one to get injured. If he hadn’t had dropped that bottle then none of this would have happened.  
*******************************************  
They didn’t know how long it took before they came across an abandoned house somewhere in the middle of the field. The only problem was that half of it had been burnt down, the front of it mostly gone whilst the upstairs wasn’t exactly accessible. But Aaron knew they had no choice, Eric was bleeding and in unbearable pain, they didn’t know how far the next shelter would be, and they still had a fair few of the undead on their tails. Fortunately, most hadn’t been able to get across the muddy turf.

Luckily, as Aaron carried Eric up the porch steps and through the wall-less living room, he noticed one room downstairs hadn’t been taken down by the fire. Carefully he set Eric down on the blackened sofa, the red head half out of it, and raising his knife for precaution he opened the door next to the stairs with one swift movement. It was a bathroom, a small but very empty bathroom.

“Eric,” he quickly went over to the smaller man, kneeling beside him and placing a hand gently on his good knee. “Hon, we can sleep in there for the night, okay? I need to take a look at that knee.”

Eric groaned, having the feeling of wanting to cut his stupid leg off. “Can’t we just sleep here?”

Aaron couldn’t help suppress a smile. “Eric, the sofa’s burnt and it’s going to be freezing soon, and you must have noticed the walls are missing, right?”

Eric glared. “Mean.”

“Tell that to the dead that are going to be roaming around soon.”

After helping Eric into the bathroom to sit on the fluffy mat by the sink, Aaron shut the door behind them and thanked whoever was listening that it had a lock. 

He turned to look at Eric and felt that stab of guilt hit him in the gut once again at the sight, his lover looked so pale and exhausted slumped against the wall in his dirt covered clothes, his knee covered in dried blood and mud.

“Don’t you dare.” Aaron was cut out of his thoughts at Eric’s sharp tone.

“What?” Aaron asked, avoiding eye contact as he got down next to him to get started on his knee.

“You know exactly what.” Eric sighed, flinching as Aaron carefully inspected the wound. “You had that look on your face again. It wasn’t your fault I got hurt, idiot.”  
Aaron didn’t say a word, not wanting to go through this again when Eric needed something other than a fight. The red head of course wasn’t giving in though, he always won the arguments after all.

“You’re ignoring me now?” he asked, eyebrows rising as Aaron leaned forward to undo his belt. “Seducing me will not steer me off topic, babe.”

Aaron couldn’t help but grin. “I don’t want to ruin your trousers. I need to take them off to get to your injury.”

Eric huffed, using his hands to lift himself off his bottom so that Aaron could slide his jeans off carefully, taking his time when Eric sucked in a breath as he pulled the material off of the wound. It looked even worse now that they could see what was hidden under the cloth. A deep gash started at the side of Eric’s knee making its way down to just under it, the cut was plastered in dried blood mixed with dirt and grit which probably made it a hell of a lot more painful.

“That’s it,” Eric began, as Aaron swung his bag off his shoulders to look inside. “I’m done for. I’ll never be able to show off my legs in public again, goodbye summer time at the beach.”

Aaron chuckled. “I’m sure you’d look good in shorts even with a cut knee.”

“You wouldn’t dump me for a hot brunette with knees to die for?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Aaron grinned at him, shaking his head.

Eric laughed, watching as Aaron got a hold of a cloth inside his backpack and poured a small amount of the solution onto it. He was about to bring up the topic of Aaron’s obvious guilt, he hadn’t forgotten, but was rudely cut off by the agonizing pain that shot through his leg as Aaron dabbed at the wound with the cloth.

“Fuck!” Eric cried out as quietly as he could, clenching his hands into fists and eyes shut tight to try and push away the pain. “Holy… shit”

Aaron gave him an apologetic look even though he couldn’t see him with his eyes scrunched shut, but he had no choice but to carry on, he had to get the injury cleaned and fast. Being as tender and cautious as he could Aaron continued to wipe the cut, Eric breathing deeply through the pain as every touch from the solution got easier to bear. 

“Do we have stuff for sutures?” Eric groaned. 

“No. I’m sorry babe. Would it be okay if I just wrapped it?” 

“Yeah... just make sure it will stop the bleeding,” sweat soaked his tense forehead as Aaron worked as gently as he could, “I’m lucky my ankle wasn’t stuck all the way. I don’t think anything is torn or broken.” 

Aaron’s eyes began to water, but he tried his best to hide his fear and disappointment in himself from his lover. 

Once that was taken care of Aaron pulled out the bandages he’d thankfully snatched up at the bar, hoping they’d be enough to cover Eric’s wound since they looked way too small. But in the end they wrapped nicely around his knee, one of them just enough to fit properly.

“There,” Aaron said once he was all done. 

“How does that feel, love?”

“Fantastic.” Eric sighed, all that clenching and trying to stop himself from shouting out loud had made him sleepy. “God, I need a nap.”

Aaron smiled, packing away their things and helping Eric to take his bag off his back. “You need to eat first, then you can sleep.”

Eric saluted, having no energy to argue. So after Aaron had moved around to sit next to Eric against the wall, yanked out a blanket to drape across their legs, and handed the smaller man a tin of chocolate pudding, they settled down to enjoy it as best they could even though it was months out of date. Soon Eric was content with a few spoonfuls of the stuff and his leg had died down to a dull pain sensation, with a little help from Aaron he shifted to lay down on his side on the bathroom carpet, his husband joining him seconds later.

The two faced each other as they lay there, Aaron’s arm draped across his waist and hand consciously rubbing circles on his back. “Your leg feeling better?” he practically whispered, the room’s only light coming from the moon shining through the gaps in the door.

“Yeah,” Eric smiled, running a hand down the other’s jawline. “It’ll get there.”

Aaron nodded, something in the bag he laid his head on digging into his skull. “Not exactly a five star resort, huh?”

“No,” Eric answered seriously. “But I’m with you, so it doesn’t matter whether we’re in a luxury building or a burnt down house.”

Aaron nodded as best he could, reaching up to take a hold of Eric’s hand and plant a soft kiss atop his knuckles. “I really am sorry.” He whispered.

“Don’t.” Eric quietly replied, resting their joined hands between them. “Please, Aaron. Let’s not talk about this again, okay? We’re both alive, that’s all that matters.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Eric smiled, leaning across to peck the other on his lips. 

Soon the two felt drowsy, Eric slipping into sleep first before Aaron pulled him in close, and feeling more at ease with the circumstances he too joined the other man.


	10. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eric gets sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Eric didn’t get sick often, but when he did it never usually stopped him from getting on with his day. Unless they counted the one time he’d caught a bug and decided to stay in a bundle of blankets for two days, declaring Aaron as his new servant. He absolutely hated not feeling normal, head hurting, nose running, back aching, whatever it was it put a huge damper on his day but he’d always get up and tell his illness where to go shove it with a box full of medicine and a nice, hot water bottle. Too bad he was stuck in the end of the world.

Currently Eric felt the nastiest he’s ever felt in his entire life, worse than the time he had a bug. And that was saying something. His head felt like little men were drilling away at his skull, whilst his body ached all over, he could hardly breathe through his nose, and his throat felt like they had a dozen nails stuffed right in there. It didn’t help that they were walking through an open field in a very cold, very loud rainstorm.

“I want to curl up in a ball and die,” Eric clung to his jacket as he dragged his feet through the squelching grass, sniffling lousily as the rain hammered down on him.

Aaron came up behind him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, hoping it was at least a bit of comfort for him. “We’ll find some shelter soon, there must be something out there.”

“Typical,” Eric sniffed. “It had to piss it down as soon as we stepped out into the middle of nowhere, didn’t it?”

“Of course it did,” Aaron couldn’t help but grin. “We have the best luck.”

Eric snorted, it came out more like a cross between a sniff and a sneeze. “If we come across another roamer I might just let him eat me.”

Aaron chuckled, clutching to him tighter. “Too bad I won’t let it.”

By the time the rain had calmed down to a light downpour, the grass had turned into a ground full of muddy gunk that the couple were trying to trudge through, Eric trying desperately not to give up and collapse into a heap of limbs, luckily Aaron was practically carrying most of his weight.

“Not far now,” Aaron said, glancing down at his husband who looked paler than normal. “Hold on, okay? We’ll find a nice cozy shelter, I’ll get a fire going and boil that can of soup we found a week ago.”

Eric coughed into his hand. “That… sounds like heaven… right now.”

Aaron smiled, planting a kiss atop of Eric’s damp hair. “Not far.”

By some miracle, Aaron was right. Minutes later the two came across a wooden fence, they climbed over and trekked to the right, almost crying in complete delight when in the distance they saw a burnt down house, a large timber barn to its left. They wasted no more time on their trek and headed straight for it, Eric feeling more and more weak the closer they got.

As soon as they were inside Aaron locked the door and checked any nooks and crannies for unwanted dead guys, whilst Eric threw all precaution out the window and wobbled right on over to the big heap of straw at the corner of the barn. It wasn’t as gigantic as it looked from the outside, but it was a roof over their heads and they were just glad to be safe for one more night.

Except it wasn’t just one night that they ended up at the barn. One night turned into two, and on that night Eric’s bad cold had turned into something a whole lot worse than the night before. Aaron had tried so hard to keep him warm with piles of straw covering his shivering body, stripping him of his soaked through clothing and laying him close to his own naked self in hope that his body heat would help. He’d wanted badly to start a small fire, but Eric had practically begged him not to for he’d rather not have the walkers knocking on the barn door.

Eric let out a pained groan as he felt every muscle tense up.

“Christ, Eric,” Aaron whispered against the sound of the howling wind outside, holding his palm flat against his husband’s forehead. “You’re burning up, ” he started unpacking everything inside their bags, bandages, food cans, a blanket, everything but medicine. “I’m going to have to find a town somewhere, I need to find you some antibiotics or something.”

“No!” Eric practically yelled in panic, hand whipping out to grab onto the other’s arm tightly. “Don’t, please Aaron, don’t leave me here.” His voice came out in a soft, pleading tone. “We haven’t split up since day one, we can’t do it now.”

“Eric,” Aaron looked into the love of his life’s begging eyes and suddenly had no idea what to do. “God, Eric.” He sat back against the heap of straw behind him, running a hand through his hair in defeat. “You’ve never been this sick before, sweetheart. I-I’m scared, I’m so fucking scared.”

Eric slowly moved over into the tiny space that separated them, slipping into the crook of Aaron’s arm and hugging the life out of him. “I’ll be okay.” He said, trying desperately not to cough or puke his guts out. “I’ll come with you, we’ll both go and find medicine.”

“No.” Aaron said sternly, tilting Eric’s head up by his chin to look him in the eye. 

“There’s no way in hell you’re leaving this shelter, Eric. You’re out of the rain here, where it’s warm, and safe from those monsters.” He ran a thumb along the red head’s lips gently. “You’re not risking your life out there, especially not like this.”

Eric tilted his head to the side, planting a soft kiss on the other man’s palm. “Aaron, if I stay here what’s to say I won’t get any better, I could be worse off sitting here, throwing up and coughing until my body gives up.”

“Don’t.” Aaron chocked, falling forward and pulling Eric into a hug. “Don’t say that.” He could feel the tear slipping down his cheek. He didn’t want to think of Eric being anything but alive and well.

Eric let Aaron hold him for what felt like hours, his own eyes sinking shut once in a while from pure exhaustion. Before he could sink into unconsciousness, he felt his body seize up and his world went black. He opened his eyes and found he was resting back on the straw, Aaron sitting by his side staring off into space. A wet, cold flannel of some sort was laying across his forehead which in fact felt incredible, if it weren’t for the discomforting shakes his body was getting.

Aaron must have noticed his form shivering as he looked down to check, immediately turning to kneel beside the redhead. “Eric?” he reached out a hand to take away the cloth, placing the back of his hand there instead. “You’re fever’s better, you feeling cold?”

Eric nodded, rolling onto his side to try and stifle the cold air. “Bloody… freezing.”

“Here, have the blanket.” Aaron said as he threw the thin blanket across him. “I’m just glad your fevers gone down, you passed out earlier, and... God, you had a seizure.”

“A seizure?” Eric asked in surprise, clinging to the blanket like a lifeline, “I haven’t had one of those for a couple of years.”

“Yeah,” Aaron mumbled, stabbing a tin can with his pocket knife. “We don’t have your meds so I had to let you ride it out. Don’t do it again, you hear? I almost lost it. You scared the hell out of me.” Aaron remembered Eric telling him about his seizures. Ever since he was a kid he experienced them once every so often, but nowadays, the threat was a lot bigger. 

Eric responded by letting out a horrible, loud cough, curling into a ball at the pain in his chest as more followed. Aaron instantly put the tin down and essentially sprinted for the cup of rain water he’d left by the hole in the door, racing back towards Eric and lifting him into a sitting position. The younger man couldn’t stop coughing, his chest throbbing and throat stinging as it went on and on, Aaron rubbing soothing circles on his back with the cup of water waiting.

Eric wheezed deeply as he let out the last big cough, gripping his chest firm as if that would help ease the aching feeling inside. Aaron let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding in, continuing to rub at the other’s back carefully, as he picked up the cup of water and had to force Eric to take slow sips.

“Drink, Eric. Breathe, sweetheart.”

Eric obeyed at last, feeling the cool liquid somewhat soothe his throat. “Urgh…” he groaned. “that… sucked… really bad.”

Aaron heaved a sigh, taking Eric in his arms and kissing the top of his head. Eric was boiling up again. “We need to get you help, Eric.” He said quietly. “And fast.”

“I told you,” Eric whispered, his voice sounding raspy. “I’m coming with you.”  
Aaron shut his eyes and exhaled deeply. He had a feeling Eric was going to win this round.

And as it turned out, Eric did win that round. After listing a hundred reasons why Eric shouldn’t leave the barn, the redhead came up with a hundred reasons why he should. Which he recited one after the other whilst packing his bag and eating a tin of dried up oranges, he then got up and wobbled his way over to the front of the barn and threatened that if Aaron didn’t let him go he’d open the door and ring the dinner bell for the zombies. Aaron had just wondered how Eric had gotten so stubborn, even when he was on the brink of bringing the oranges back up.


	11. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric encounter another survivor on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Aaron slowly made his way through the field, Eric slouched over his shoulder, too weak to support his own weight. He could feel Eric shivering despite having a blanket wrapped around him. 

“Just hold on, okay? We’ll find something somewhere. We can rest soon. Just keep your chin up,” he said trying to comfort Eric. He heard Eric let out a moan, sweat soaking his forehead. 

After a few hours of walking in the middle of nowhere, Aaron found a spot to make camp in the forest. There was lot’s of cover on one side and a view of the field they had crossed on the other. There was also a small creek where they could get water. 

Aaron set Eric down on the forest floor, leaning his back up against a cool boulder. He adjusted Eric’s blankets and felt his forehead. 

“God, you’re fever is getting worse,” Aaron said, panic dripping from every word, “I think we are going to have to stay here for the night to get that fever down.”

Eric groaned and leaned against Aaron for comfort. Silence from Eric was not a good sign. All Aaron could hear from him was shaky breaths, small gasps of pain, and uncomfortable groans. Aaron turned to get a good look at Eric. He noticed his eyes looking more dark and sullen. He needed help. Fast. 

“I’m going to put the cans around the camp, okay? I’ll also come back with some water we can boil,” he pressed his gun into Eric’s palms, indicating he should take it. It was the only one they had, but Eric needed it more, “fire if you need anything. I won’t be far,” He held Eric tight to his chest a few seconds. He couldn’t lose him. 

“Please... don’t leave m-“ Eric tried to mumble weakly. A tear fell from his eye, and Aaron kissed it away.

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed Eric’s sweat soaked hair. 

Making sure Eric had the gun, he set out to set up the campsite. After he set up the cans, he remembered to fetch water to boil for Eric. He moved to turn back when he heard a twig snap behind him. Knife drawn Aaron snapped his head back to find the source of the noise. He saw a young man pointing a gun at him with all the confidence of firing it. His nerves were running high, and his thoughts were only on Eric. 

“Drop it,” the man said gesturing to Aaron’s knife. Thinking about Eric, he set the knife on the ground, putting his hands in the air. 

“I don’t want any trouble. I’m all by myself. Just trying to survive, like you. Please,” he gulped, his hands shaking, “Just let me go.”

“Throw over your pack. Now!” The man clicked the gun.

“Okay, okay. Here,” he reluctantly threw the pack over. Eric still had his. They could find more supplies, but he couldn’t lose Eric. 

The man picked up the pack and put his gun in his belt, moving to look at what was in the pack. Aaron moved, slowly backing away from the man, “Stay where you are!” The man pulled the bag over his shoulder and cocked the gun.

Aaron put his hands up out of instinct. He was used to dealing with bad people with guns in Africa, but in this world, there were no rules, no consequences “I’m begging you, please. From one survivor to another, just let me go. We never have to see each other again.” The man rushed forward putting his gun to Aaron’s head. He closed his eyes in fear, praying he would see the love of his life again. 

The man spoke into his ear, “If I let you go, you’re just another person, taking up resources— another enemy that will probably come back to bite us in the ass later. I should just kill you now, get it over with.” 

Aaron let out a shaky breath, “Please, you have my stuff. We can go our separate ways.” 

“That’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Besides, you might get in the way of me taking your man’s stuff,” he whispered.

Aaron shuddered, “I don’t know what your t-talking about,” he said shakily.

“I’ve been tracking you both for the last two hours. He seems pretty weak though, won’t put up much of a fight.” 

Aaron let out a sob, “P-please, you can’t. He needs help. I have to help him!” 

“Too bad. I think I’m going to enjoy killing you both. It’s always kind of a thrilling experience,” he dug the gun deeper into his skull, relishing the moment, as Aaron was shaking with fear. 

“Any last words you want me to relay to your m-“ Three shots rang out, and the man fell to the ground. Blood was sleeping from three small holes on his body. 

Before Aaron could relax, he looked over at the rock where he left Eric. He let out a cry of relief when he saw Eric leaning against the rock with the gun shaking in his hands. At that point, Aaron was freely crying. 

“Oh god,” Aaron sobbed as Eric collapsed onto his knees, heaving up what little he had in his stomach. It wasn’t the first time they had killed, but it never got any easier. 

Aaron was at his side in seconds, “It’s okay... shhh... it’s okay,” he was gently rubbing his husband’s back.

After holding each other for a half hour, Aaron broke the silence, “it will be dark soon, we should set up camp.” 

“O-okay,” Eric said weakly as Aaron pulled him into his arms. He carried Eric bridal style to a small den-like structure where they would be safe from the undead. He set Eric down just outside of it so that he could inspect it. When he came back out, Eric was no where to be seen. 

“Eric!” He yelled, not caring if he attracted the attention of the roamers, “Eric!” He sobbed. He looked all around, but there was no sign. He went to scramble his way up the boulder to get a better vantage point. Before he could even start climbing, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and a hand around his mouth and nose. After a few seconds, the world went black.


	12. The Basement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Eric are held prisoner by the family they encountered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

Aaron woke with a start. His eyes were blurry from of whatever or whoever hit him on the head. He groaned softly, noticing the pain in his arms as they hung over his head and the cloth gag between his teeth. 

After he squinted his eyes in attempt to orient himself, he slowly started to remember what happened. One thought came to his mind: Eric. Frantically, he looked around searching for his husband. He tried to call out through the gag, but it was all muffled. 

He heard soft groaning from beside him, he turned to look and saw Eric next to him around the corner of the wall in the same position. His arms were tied over his head and a gag was tied tightly around his mouth. 

“Mmph!” He called out. He lightly tapped Eric’s knee with his foot, trying to get his attention. If it weren’t for his heavy breathing, Aaron might have thought Eric was dead. His eyes were sunken and dark against his pale face, and sweat soaked his face and chest. 

Suddenly, Eric flinched as he gained consciousness. Aaron saw he was beginning to panic. His eyes grew wide as he struggled weakly in his restraints. Aaron got his attention and tried to calm him, but he couldn’t seem to get a word out. Eventually, his breaths began to slow after they shared a knowing glance, trying to comfort each other. 

They both turned as the door to the room they were in opened. Two men with guns and knives on their belts walked in, looking them both up and down. 

One of the men walked forward. He was older, probably in his fifties. He looked a lot like the man Eric had shot in the woods. He also must have lost his arm somehow because he had on a prosthetic with three small knives built in. This is it a man Aaron would want to cross paths with on the road. 

“Damn. This is such a shame,” he sauntered closer to Eric, looking him up and down. Aaron yelled through his gag, attempting to let the man know that threatening Eric was a mistake. “You both look like such nice guys.” 

Eric was shaking in his bonds, struggling to stay alert. He looked like he was getting weaker by the second. 

“Hell, I just have to put this one out of his misery! He looks god awful. Probably not long for this world anyways.” 

“Nnnn!” Aaron tried desperately to get to Eric. He couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t.

“Wow,” said the man, turning his attention to Aaron, who was breathing deeply. He didn’t want his panic to show, “You must really care about this man. We looked through some of your bags, and we found the cutest little photo album of you two fags. You know how dangerous it is to care about someone in this world?” A cold sweat broke out on Aaron’s face, “Well!” He shouted, earning a flinch from both men, “enough of the deep stuff. Let’s get into what I really want to discuss.” He gestured to the other man to go forward.

The other man roughly removed the cloth from their mouths, and Eric promptly threw up, earning a laugh from their captors, “You are in rough shape, my friend. He bit?” 

“N-no. But he’s sick. Really sick. H-he needs help. Please just let us go.” He begged, looking at Eric.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see, one of you killed my son. And one of you needs to pay. So— I know this is an emotional moment, but let’s try and-“ 

“It was me,” said Eric. 

“No... no, Eric, no! You can’t! No!” Aaron was suddenly silenced by the cloth again. Words couldn’t describe the fear he felt. 

“Thank you for making this so easy! You are a very honorable young man.”

“Y-your son was in the forest. He-he had a gun to Aaron’s head. I didn’t have a choice,” Eric tried to reason with him.

The man pulled Eric closer to him by his shirt, “I don’t care.” 

By this time, Aaron was crying, trying to plea behind the gag. His whole world was collapsing and he couldn’t do a thing about it. He couldn’t breathe. 

“Any last words?” 

Eric weakly turned to Aaron, “I l-love you so much, okay? You can make it. You’re so strong. A-Aaron, don’t let me turn into a monster. I c-can’t hurt you. Don’t let me hurt you. P-please, fight back... I love you,” he and Aaron both sobbed, Every shallow breath a whimper or a cry.

The man put the gun to Eric’s chest, and they both looked deep into each other’s eyes, believing it might be the last time. The gun clicked, and he prepared to fire. Aaron let out a muffled scream as he pulled the trigger. To both of their shock, nothing happened; the gun wasn’t loaded.

Both men laughed, “Man, you looked terrified! I’m not gonna kill you yet. It’s too much fun watching y’all squirm. Before I go though, I do want to leave a parting gift.” 

Before they could react, the man brought the three blades down across Eric’s ribs, eliciting a heart wrenching scream from both men. Blood was seeping through Eric’s shirt, weakening him more, if that were possible. He moaned as his body began to shake in pain. The men just chuckled and left the room, leaving the couple to stew on their fates. 

“A-Aaron?” Eric whimpered, his breathing shallow. Aaron tried to speak but all that came out was muffled nonsense, “There’s a n-nail... above your ropes. You should try and...” his speech faltered, “try and c-cut th-“ The sight of Eric passing out sent Aaron into panic mode. He knew what Eric was talking about; he could potentially cut through the ropes with the exposed nail. 

With determination Aaron never thought he had, he began sawing through the binding with the rusty nail. His need to protect Eric would allow him to get through it in a few minutes. All they had to do now was wait, and then the hard part would begin. He would have to fight their way out. 

Just in the nick of time, the rope burst as one of the men walked in the room with a large semiautomatic rifle, presumably to keep watch. Aaron held his arms up, pretending to still be bound as to not make the man suspicious. He snickered as he approached Aaron, looking into his eyes with a look of superiority, like he could do anything he wanted to them. 

As soon as the man turned his back, Aaron wasted no time springing into action. He dropped his arms and kicked the man in the back so that he hit his head on the wall in front of them, instantly knocking him out. He hastily removed the cloth from his mouth and turned to his husband. 

Letting out a sob, he freed his lover with the knife from the man’s pocket. Eric was losing blood fast, precious blood that was keeping Eric from collapsing more than he already had been. After freeing Eric, he kneeled over the unconscious man and stabbed the knife through his skull. Carefully picking Eric up, holding his arm over his shoulder, he took the gun and ran for the door. 

Peaking through the door, Aaron saw the flight of stairs. They had almost made it to the top, when one of the steps decided to creak. 

“Mike, is that you? How are the fags behaving? Is the ginger dead yet?” Aaron heard the other man ask, the blood rushing from his face. 

Aaron assumed Mike was the guard he had killed. He knew that when he didn’t answer, the man would come to check on him. Like clockwork, the man made his way to the stairway and quickly opened the door. As silently as he could, Aaron pulled Eric behind the door with him to hide from the sadistic man. 

Eric whimpered, his body trembling with every breath. Squeezing behind the door could not have been comfortable, but Aaron had to get them out. He put his hand over Eric’s mouth, and he could feel the sweat dripping from his face. He pressed his lips to Eric’s forehead to comfort him; he would apologize later, once they made it out alive. 

Tension and panic were practically bleeding from Aaron’s every pore, as he waited for the man to either leave or get in a position where Aaron could kill him. His heart was pounding in his chest, unlike Eric’s which was getting weaker every second. He scrunched his eyes shut, silently praying to any higher power to get them through this. 

Finally, the man grew too suspicious at the silence in the cellar. He took a few steps down the stairs, listening again. Aaron took a deep breath, sweat rolling down his face, and jumped into action. Aaron positioned himself in front of Eric and readied his gun. Just as the man turned to face them, Aaron shot off four rounds into his body and head. 

Realizing the two were out of danger for the moment, he immediately turned to Eric who was slumped over unconscious on the steps behind the door. He dropped to his knees and cradled Eric to his chest. The one side of his shirt was practically soaked with blood. 

“We’re safe, sweetheart. Oh god, we’re gonna be okay,” he choked out. The scariest part about the world now was not the undead but the living. Aaron picked Eric up bridal style and carried him out of the worn down shack they had been held captive in. Despite everything they had been through, the couple was determined to never let their humanity go.


	13. Rescued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The couple are found by a couple of strangers who help them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want you all to know that what a lot of what I post is original content, but I also pulled from many other works that I LOVED in order to make a cohesive, perfect story for me personally. If you want the details on specific works or if you wrote the works, let me know. Also, this is not canon, but it resolves itself without messing with the storyline.

They’d just passed an abandoned car garage when Eric has fallen down on his knees in a ditch, and let out the contents of his stomach.

“Shit.” Aaron had hoped that he would keep it in this time around, but luck wasn’t on their side once again. Eric was heaving by the time he’d finished being sick, it had made him feel so weak that he’d dropped to the floor in a heap. His chest rattled with every shaky, painful breath he took. He groaned, there was a metallic taste in his mouth, and he realized he threw up and coughed up blood. His weak muscles collapsed underneath him, and he let Aaron pick him up to carry him to wherever they were going. He had managed to wrap a bandage he had in their packs around his wounds, but it looked like the blood soaked through The only good thing was that the rain had settled for the time being, there wasn’t a drop coming down from the sky and not a black cloud in sight, Aaron thanked the heavens for at least some kind of blessing.

And it didn’t stop there. Minutes after Eric had thrown up Aaron had almost dropped him in utter shock as they came across a car, not just an abandoned car, but a working one. Aaron quickly helped Eric into the back seat to lay down, making sure he had plenty of water and a blanket, before jumping into the driver’s seat and speeding off down the road.

It was all going smoothly for a while, Eric was getting some sleep in the back and thankfully hadn’t been sick again, they’d only come across two walkers which Aaron had stabbed through the half open window, and the rain seemed to have moved on to the next state. It seemed like luck was finally on their side, until Aaron turned a corner and nearly drove right into a group of people.

There, in the middle of the pathway were two vehicles, one truck and one car, and sitting on the car’s bonnet were two men with large guns in their hands, another man and a woman standing beside the truck with weapons by their sides. As soon as he got close enough their heads turned in his direction and Aaron felt his heart skip a beat in pure terror. Not for himself, but for Eric who was sleeping fast in the back of the car. He just prayed to whoever could hear him that these people weren’t about to do any harm, or worse.

“Hey! You!”

Aaron almost jumped as the man beside the truck yelled in his direction, the brunette grasped the steering wheel tighter, preparing to run these guys over if he had to.

“Get out of the car!” the bearded man shouted. “Do you hear me? Get out!”

By this time the man had pointed his gun right at Aaron. But what confused him the most was when the woman stood beside the man, and snatched the gun right out of his hand. Aaron had no idea what they were talking about, but next thing he knew the man and woman were arguing over lord knew what, whilst the other two men on the bonnet laughed. Aaron thought now would be the perfect time to make a move and get Eric the hell out of there. That was until the man started walking towards him.

Aaron started to panic. The man was about a meter away from him when he held out his gun once more and pointed it at him, the other two joining him but keeping their guns to their sides but their eyes fixed on Aaron in the driver’s seat. The woman stayed where she was.

“I said get out.” The man said loud enough for Aaron to hear. He cocked his gun, and prepared to fire. “Now.”

Aaron held his hands in the air, having no choice but to do as the man told him. With one quick glance to make sure Eric was still asleep, he unhurriedly opened the car door and got out, feeling his heartbeat begin to quicken as the end of the man’s gun was inches from his face.

“Please,” Aaron said in desperation, thinking of only Eric. “Please just let us go… please, we don’t want to cause any trouble.”

Aaron hadn’t realised the mistake he’d made until it was too late. As the man’s eyes moved from Aaron to the car he knew he’d done a foolish thing, and he wanted to shoot himself for being so senseless.

“Us?” The man mumbled, looking right at Eric’s form on the back seat. “Get whoever’s in that car out, right now.”

“Please…”

“Now!”

“Okay, okay.” Aaron swallowed the hard lump in his throat, slowly stepping to the side of the car and opening the door.  
Eric was hot to the touch when Aaron put a hand to his cheek, stroking his thumb gently across his warm skin in an attempt to rouse him from slumber. “Eric, sweetheart.” Aaron said in a whisper, feeling the guilt wash over him as Eric’s eyes fluttered open. “Eric, you have to come outside, okay? Just for a minute.”

“Whu?” Eric moaned as his head swam, his body aching all over. “Aaron?”

“Sh, it’s okay.” Aaron whispered, gently lifting Eric into a sitting position and winding his arm around his neck for support. “It’s going to be okay, Eric, I promise.”

With a quick tug Eric was up and out of the car with almost all his weight being held up by his husband, his head pounded from the light outside and he tried hard to focus on what was going on. He could feel the warm blood soaking his torso. He just about yelped in surprise when he realized a bearded man and his two cronies were standing in front of them, a gun directed at their heads.

“Aaron?” Eric mumbled, feeling his body begin to shake.

“Shh,” Aaron held him tight, squeezing his waist in reassurance. “It’s okay, Eric. It’s okay.”

“Who are you?” The bearded man asked, frown on his face. “Where are you off?”

Aaron took a glimpse at Eric and saw that sweat was essentially soaking his face. 

“Please, I beg you to let us go. Were just survivors like you we just… I need to find him some medicine, please!”

Aaron could have sworn he saw the man lower his gun just a tad. “Why? Has he been bitten?”

“No!” Aaron quickly shot back. “No, he’s been ill for days, I think it’s the flu or something worse… he’s… he’s really sick. We ran into some bad people and they hurt him. He’s bleeding faster than I can manage. Please! I’ll do anything just… just let us go.”

As Aaron said it he felt Eric’s head drop onto his shoulder, the redhead’s breathing coming out in short gasps.

“Please!” Aaron bawled in utter desperation.

Before the beard man could say another word, Aaron felt Eric’s weight being lifted off of him, only to realise the blonde woman had suddenly appeared on Eric’s other side and was helping keep him standing.

“Get the car door open.” She said to the other men. “Now, you idiots!”

The men hesitated, but with an angry glare from her the men split and headed for the car in a sprint. “Come on,” the woman said, beginning to pull Eric along to the group’s car.

Aaron couldn’t believe what was happening. Something inside him told him he shouldn’t be trusting so easily, but on the other hand, something was telling him this woman, this determined woman was there to help them.

Within seconds they’d gotten Eric into the back seat of the stranger’s car, Aaron ran back to get their bags before joining his boyfriend in the back and resting his head in Aaron’s lap. Two of the guys got into their truck, whilst the bearded man got behind the steering wheel of the car as the woman got into the passenger’s side. They were hurtling off before Aaron could get his head around what just happened, his eyes not leaving Eric’s form as he clung to Aaron’s hand.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Aaron looked up at the sound of the woman’s voice. She had turned around to be able to see him, a sincere smile on her lips. “Those bullies can be a bit much sometimes.”

“Hey!” The bearded man growled. “Speak for yourself, blondie.”

Blondie rolled her eyes. “Anyway, this here is Butch.

Aaron nodded and let her speak on. “The other two are Heath and Tobin, they’re good guys. And I’m Denise, it’s nice to meet you.” She said with a smile.

“Uh… yeah…” Aaron stuttered, trying to find the right words to say, he felt nervous, tired, hungry, afraid, hopeful all at the same time. “I’m uh… I’m Aaron.”

“Hi, Aaron.” Denise gave a small wave and looked down at Eric. “Don’t worry, we have a doctor back at our community for…”

“Eric. My husband.”

“Eric.” Denise repeated with a grin. “Aaron and Eric, you guys look sweet toge-.”

“Wait.” Aaron blinked out of his day dream, all of a sudden he’d grasped exactly what Denise had said. “Did you just say community?”

“Yeah,” Butch answered for her from the driver’s seat, swerving to the left to hit a stray bitter. “We’re from a community not far from here, you may need to answer a few questions to get in though. Not many of us have been outside the walls, hell, this is Denise’s first time.”

Denise snorted, “What Butch means is, we have a small community who trust and help one another, and to get in we just have to ask you some simple questions, just to make sure you’re good people. Like Butch said, we don’t have many outsiders,” She said, noticing how Aaron’s shoulders had loosened up a little. “But you guys look like good people to me.”

Aaron couldn’t believe it. He looked back and forth from Denise to Butch, eyes wide in shock, hand tightening around Eric’s as he came to the awareness of what was happening. They couldn’t be lying, Denise looked so sincere and honest about it all that it was impossible for her not to be telling the truth. They were heading towards a community, a safe place full of people, real, live people. And a doctor, a person that could finally get Eric back to good health.

Aaron gazed down at Eric who was fast asleep in his lap. He imagined them being safe, healthy, surrounded by people. He just hoped his judgment of character was correct.


End file.
